Monday 15 June 2015 10:48, UK
Fabian Gomez cruised to his first PGA Tour title at the FedEx St Jude Classic as Greg Owen paid the price for crucial back-nine mistakes on the final day in Memphis.
Gomez pulled away from the Englishman with a faultless inward 32 and capped a comprehensive four-shot victory in style with a 30-foot putt for his fourth birdie of the round and a closing 66 to post a winning score of 13 under par.
Owen had started the day tied for the lead with the Argentine, and he opened up a two-shot lead when he followed a birdie at the third with another at the seventh after knocking a superb 190-yard approach to five feet.
But they reached the turn all square after Gomez rolled in a 10 foot birdie putt at the eighth and Owen then bogeyed the ninth after a wayward drive.
Gomez edged ahead when he converted another excellent approach to the par-three 11th, and Owen then blocked his tee shot into water at the 12th before angrily snapping the offending three-wood when he smashed the grip into the turf as he left the tee box.
Owen limited the damage to his scorecard with a fine pitch and putt for bogey, but he then slipped three behind when he bunkered his tee shot to the short 14th and failed to get up and down, although the 43-year-old journeyman revived his chances with an impressive birdie from 15 feet at the next.
But Gomez answered with a sublime bunker escape to within two feet to set up birdie at the 16th, and he wrapped up his maiden PGA Tour title in his 70th start with his grandstand finish at the last.
Owen managed to close with three straight pars to hang on to outright second place which will propel him 77 places up the FedExCup standings, finishing a stroke ahead of crowd-favourite Phil Mickelson.
The left-hander boosted his confidence ahead of next week's US Open as he birdied three of the last five holes to return a five-under 65 and set the clubhouse target at eight under par.
Mickelson was joined in a share of third by Seung-Yul Noh, who kept a bogey off his card in his 65, while Michael Thompson, Brooks Koepka and Matt Jones also closed on eight under par.
Scotland's Russell Knox also fired an encouraging 65 to join American trio Billy Horschel, Boo Weekley and Chad Campbell on seven under, while Luke Donald carded a 68 - his third sub-70 round of the tournament - to post a top-30 finish on three under.
